Chapter 94 Past Events: Schemes Among Newlyweds [4]
Xiao Qingxuan stood still.
Watching Qian Yueshu's departing figure, the hand behind her back unconsciously clenched slightly.
The subtle sensation of feeding her lips still lingered on his fingertips.
In a corner of my heart.
A very slight throbbing pain came over me.
But he quickly suppressed this strange feeling.
He loved Liu Yu, not the lowly daughter of a merchant.
Rules are rules.
A boundary is a boundary.
On the other side.
It seemed as if the day was perfectly in sync with Qian Yueshu's mood.
As soon as she stepped out of the living room, dark clouds gathered.
Summer is usually characterized by continuous rain.
One second it might be sunny, the next it could be a raging storm.
Qian Yueshu especially likes rainy days like this.
She likes rain.
They also like thunder and lightning.
So Qian Yueshu enjoyed the rain while admiring the flowers in the garden of the East Palace.
Actually, she really likes rain.
But to outsiders, it looked like he had been provoked, or that he had just been scolded by the Crown Prince.
That's why this whole thing happened!
How could something happening in the Eastern Palace possibly escape the Crown Prince's notice?
When Qian Yueshu first got caught in the rain, someone reported it to her.
Xiao Qingxuan didn't even lift his eyelashes, only letting out a barely audible cold snort from his throat: "Let her be. Let her get soaked in the rain if she wants, thinking that she can force this Crown Prince to compromise and make me spend the night in her courtyard!"
In fact, Qian Yueshu really likes rain.
But the crown prince felt that she was using her body to force him.
After all, he had just said that he would not spend the night in Liu Yu's room before she married into the family.
I originally thought she would go home on her own after getting soaked in the rain for a while.
But an hour has already passed.
As the drizzle turned into a downpour, Qian Yueshu still hadn't gone back.
The Crown Prince was busy with official duties in his study.
He was interrupted by the sudden, intensifying sound of rain outside the window.
The large raindrops made a loud, pattering sound, like a thousand horses galloping and roaring.
Almost at the same time as the thunder rumbled, he subconsciously asked the eunuch, "Has Consort Qian returned?"
The eunuch's voice carried a barely perceptible hint of urgency: "Your Highness, Consort Qian... is still in the garden and has not left."
"Is she still there?" Xiao Qingxuan finally raised his head, a deep frown forming between his brows. "How long has it been?"
"It has been almost an hour."
One hour!
Xiao Qingxuan's fingertips tapped unconsciously on the sandalwood table, the rhythm chaotic.
He tried to remain calm, telling himself that this was just a tactic of Qian Yueshu, a silent resistance, a trick that women often use to gain pity by hurting themselves.
She must have calculated that someone would report it, calculated that he would find out, calculated that he...
I can't just stand by and watch her fall ill!
"A self-inflicted injury," he uttered softly, as if trying to convince himself. "Does she think that this will force me to submit? That it will make me retract my order and humiliate me?"
He imagined what Qian Yueshu looked like at that moment.
She must have been soaked to the bone, standing shivering in the rain, waiting for him to come with an umbrella, to embrace her, and to comfort her with gentle words.
That's really... a clever scheme.
How could Xiao Qingxuan be so easily manipulated by a woman?
But I couldn't read a single word of the book in my hand.
Another thunderclap seemed to explode right overhead.
Xiao Qingxuan clenched his fist tightly, his nails digging deep into his palm.
"Bring me an umbrella!" He turned around abruptly, his voice hoarse from suppressed anger and other emotions.
The eunuch Wang Xi was startled and quickly took an oiled paper umbrella, which he respectfully handed over.
Xiao Qingxuan snatched it away, not even having time to put on his outer robe, and rushed straight into the raging rain.
From afar, he spotted Qian Yueshu.
Qian Yueshu was indeed soaked through, which accentuated her slender yet delicate figure.
Her long, wet hair was draped behind her head, with a few strands clinging to her pale cheeks.
But she didn't tremble, nor did she squat on the ground and cry.
She tilted her head back, letting the rain wash over her face.
It's as if she really likes this rain!
It blended into the raging wind and lightning, the booming thunder, and the pouring rain.
This scene struck Xiao Qingxuan's eyes.
He strode up to her, his voice filled with suppressed anger and a sense of unease that even he himself was unaware of.
Without hesitation, he tilted the umbrella over her head, shielding her from the torrential rain.
Most of his body was instantly exposed to the torrential rain.
The cold rain made him shiver, and he squeezed out two words through gritted teeth: "Go back!"
His voice sounded somewhat distorted in the rain, carrying an undeniable command mixed with an indescribable sense of frustration: "I'll be going to your room tonight."
Xiao Qingxuan thought he would see her happy after her scheme succeeded or immediately return to her room.
Yes.
Qian Yueshu simply looked at him quietly, her lips moved, but in the end she said nothing...
I just genuinely enjoy being in the rain; I never expected to have such an unexpected bonus.
Since His Highness the Crown Prince feels that he is being threatened, then so be it!
His Highness the Crown Prince saw that Qian Yueshu was still standing in the rain and did not intend to go back inside.
Finally, I couldn't care less about anything else.
He didn't care about the astonished looks from the eunuchs and palace maids behind him.
He had no regard for "the dignity of a crown prince" or "avoiding suspicion."
He bent down and scooped up the cold, soaking wet body in his arms.
"Ah!" Qian Yueshu exclaimed softly, instinctively reaching out to wrap her arms around his neck.
His embrace was broad and warm, carrying the familiar scent of ambergris.
Xiao Qingxuan carried her and strode towards her residence, "Jinping Pavilion".
The palace servants under the eaves had already knelt down, silent as cicadas in winter.
His Highness the Crown Prince has lost his composure like this before.
Upon entering Jinping Pavilion, one is greeted by clever palace maids who have already prepared hot water and clean clothes.
The room was warm and cozy, dispelling the chill brought in from outside.
"Quickly! Serve your master a bath, let her soak in hot water! Then go and boil a bowl of strong ginger soup!" Xiao Qingxuan carefully placed Qian Yueshu by the bedside and gave the orders in a hurried tone.
The palace maids quickly responded and escorted Qian Yueshu into the bath room behind the screen.
Xiao Qingxuan did not leave. He stood in the outer room, hands behind his back, gazing at the continuous rain outside the window.
After an unknown amount of time, Qian Yueshu finished bathing, changed into a dry and soft moon-white nightgown, and was helped out from behind the screen by a palace maid.
The hot water dispelled some of the chill in her body, and her cheeks regained some color, but she was still listless and weak from illness.
Qian Yueshu silently walked to the bedside, lifted the brocade quilt and lay down, wrapping herself tightly, revealing only a small, tired face.
Xiao Qingxuan felt a lump in his throat as he looked at her.
He waved his hand, signaling all the palace servants to leave.
The bedchamber fell silent, with only the soft breathing of the two people and the pattering rain outside the window.
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